• Duval County’s unemployment rate dropped slightly in September to a seasonally adjusted 12.35 percent from 12.63 percent in August, but it was still higher than the 11.73 percent rate in September 2009, according to state numbers adjusted for seasonality by the Local Economic Indicators Project at the University of North Florida.
• State numbers show that Duval County’s employment fell by 1,207 while unemployment fell by 3,964 over the month. The state reports that 53,836 people were unemployed in the county in September. The overall labor force consisted of 449,618 people, down by 5,171 from August.
• Professor Paul Mason, director of the UNF economic indicators project, said the declines suggested that the drop in the unemployment rate was because some workers either left the job market or left the area.
• Where’s the economy headed? “I think things will improve, but very slowly,” said Mason. “Banks still aren’t lending and businesses can’t get money to expand. Business can produce more with less and they’re taking advantage of that. There’s nothing telling the businesses that consumers have all this pent-up demand for goods and services. This is going to be very slow.”
• Addition: First Tee Director of Outreach Guy Garbarino, 34, also made Golf magazine’s list of the most influential people in golf under 40 years old. The Daily Record reported Friday that PGA Tour Senior Director of Communications Laura Hill was the only local resident who made the roster.
• First Bank of Jacksonville was closed Friday by the Florida Office of Financial Regulation, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. as receiver. The FDIC entered into agreement with Ameris Bank of Moultrie, Ga., to assume all of the deposits of First Bank of Jacksonville. The two branches of First Bank of Jacksonville will reopen today as branches of Ameris Bank. Depositors of First Bank of Jacksonville will automatically become depositors of Ameris Bank.
• Paul Eckert, general manager of the Omni Jacksonville Hotel Downtown, has a new title: General manager of the Omni Amelia Island Plantation.